This paper presents a brief overview of current human factors research into route guidance systems. A short description of different interface styles is given and a review of two road-based studies of three existing route guidance systems is provided. A general discussion then highlights a range of issues of relevance to driver-system interfaces, drawing on results both from the studies carried out, and other research. Specific aspects addressed include the content and means of presenting route guidance information, and the potential effect of interface design on driver visual behaviour and performance.

This paper considers the effect of receiving a secondary source of information upon ability to acquire and use spatial knowledge (i.e. the formation of a cognitive map). Participants watch videos of three journeys through an unfamiliar area. They then perform tasks measuring ability to integrate the routes into a cognitive map of the area. Subjects viewing the routes whilst hearing route guidance information performed consistently worse than those receiving no guidance. The presence of non-salient information, however, did not impair performance.

Existing studies highlighting differences between gender and age groups regarding spatial ability receive only partial support: the results suggest that ability to drive negates these effects. Female drivers perform as well as, if not better than, their male counterparts, and outperform male non-drivers. This same ‘driving’ effect was also evident in the over-55s group, with both male and female drivers performing significantly better than non-drivers in this age group. The results also show that driving ability enhances ability to cope with and use guidance information, suggesting that systems’ designers should make varying levels of spatial information available for less experienced drivers.

This paper describes a low-cost, in-vehicle route planning and driver information system being developed for use within the DRIVE PLEIADES (London–Paris corridor) project. The system integrates vehicle position information from a GPS receiver, traffic condition messages broadcast from both RDS-TMC and radio paging, and road network information from a route planning system. Instructions describing the route to be followed are presented to the driver on a dashboard-mounted LCD and in spoken form. The system tracks the calculated optimum route and gives instructions for the next section of the route to be covered. The optimum route is continuously recalculated, reacting to TMC messages and the vehicle's location.